0920.html
Match Report: Poor performance good enough against Apollon
Limassol
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Amsterdam Arena
20 September 2001 |
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Abubakari Yakubu
celebrate the Swede's 2nd minute goal against Apollon
Limassol of Cyprus, during today's 2-0 victory at the
Arena.
[source: ANP]
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In a rather poor and boring match, Ajax won 2-0 their
first-round UEFA Cup match against the semi-professionals of
Apollon Limassol from Cyprus. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored after
just two minutes, but this wasn't the sign of a big night of
scoring for the home side.
Ajax played less defensively than they have been since their
friendly match against AS Roma in Berlin. The defensive system
they played ever since, with five defenders (ironically called
the Berlin wall), was now reduced to four. Against
Apollon Limassol Ajax played a 4-4-2 system, but with Wamberto
on the right side of midfield and Mido on the left side, it
looked even more offensive.
Yet the game wasn't attacking-minded at all. Ajax played
careful from out of their own defense and wasn't creative or
dangerous at the forward line. It looked as if Ajax has
forgotten how to attack, since they focused so strongly on the
defense. The latter is great of course and it is remarkable
that Ajax had only two goals scored against them in the last
six matches, including this one. But on the other hand Ajax
scored only nine times in these games.
Even against Limassol, they failed to attack convincingly.
The Cypriot club, with some semi-profesionals in their squad,
easily held out, and Ajax had to wait until the 59th minute to
score the 2-0. Nicos Machlas, who played an otherwise poor
match once again, headed the ball nicely after a cross from
Wamberto.
This attack from the sideline must have inspired Adriaanse
to dig up the old 4-3-3 system from under a thick layer of
dust. With substitute Van der Meyde as a right winger and
Wamberto on the left, Ajax played like old times in the last
quarter of an hour. But also this offensive play style couldn't
create any more danger.
Defensively Ajax has definitely improved, and that's good to
see after so many poor years of bad defending. But it's at the
expense of the attacking abilities, the skill Ajax was so
famous for amongst all soccer-lovers and authorities. With this
sober playing style Ajax is without it's unique flair. It now
has to guard against becoming just an ordinary soccer club.
Ajax travel to Cyprus for the second leg of the first round
next week, on 27 September. (BV)
GOALS:
- '02 1-0 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- '56 2-0 Nikos Machlas
Referee: Dejan Stanisic (YUG)
Yellow card: Marangos (Apollon Limassol)
Attendance: 17,750
Ajax line-up: Grim; Trabelsi, Chivu, Heitinga (46.
Maxwell), Bergdolmo, Yakubu, Van der Vaart; Machlas (76. Van
der Meyde), Zlatan, Mido (64. Knopper).
Appolon line-up: Avgoustis, Gais, Filoppou, Theofilou,
Spolijaric, Aresti (68. Pittas), Dobrasinovic, Miserdovski (59.
Zubarev), Marangos, Kavazis, Papakyriakou (79. Panayiotou)
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